xp home vs. mce vs. pro

Which os should I get? I currently have xp home and was wondering if switching os's when I get a new laptop would be worthwhile. I'm going to using my new laptop at college for doin hw/gaming/watching videos, and it's prob not going to have a tv tuner (it will have a dvd burner though), though I may get an external one later. Any advice?

 

With no TV Tuner I wouldnt recommend MCE. But if it has s-video go for it.

Otherwise Windows Professional is fine if you are doing remote assistance or extreme networking.

Home is good too for normal tasks .

 

For your use, MCE sounds like a solid choice.

XP Pro is XP Home with much more security and network features, MCE is XP home with media extensions. XP Home is just fine for most people, since MCE is just XP Home with media extensions, I don't see why not.

 

I also vote for MCE - if you're going to be doing multimedia with your notebook, you'll certainly benefit from the Media Suite that it comes with.

 

I dont know what the big deal with MCE is. I have xp home, pro, and MCE and although MCE is basically pro with a pretty shell, I wish i would have just kept pro on. Although the menus are flashy and buttons are more glossy i find the interface cumbersome and limited at the same time. I guess I like things a bit more manual. I'd say there are better stand alone apps for the media center aspect but when you wrap in the cost and if you are just doing basic media center tasks then i guess it would be right for you. A good clean install of Pro though is definately my fav.

 

I thought MCE was XP Pro with extensions added on as well... I would use that over home. Home has some messed up file sharing if you ask me.

 

Home is fine with me. I'm more than happy with it. I purposefully got Home to save money on my notebook.

 

Another vote for XP home. Mainly because of price. I have XP Pro on my desktop and XP Home on the laptop. MCE is, similar to what others have been saying: XP Pro +media extensions but minus some enterprise stuff (ActiveDirectory support). Seems like MCE is replacing XP home as the standard OS on laptops...at least at Dell.

 

MCE is XP HOME with media extensions, NOT pro. And on laptops today MCE costs the same as Pro usually, so why not...

 

There seems to be some confusion on what MCE is based on and unfortunately, MS doesn't seem to really care.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition
"The first release based directly on Windows XP Professional, this release was only available from Tier 1 computer manufactures"

Anyone have anything more authoritative?


(edited to fix the URL)

 

Well the original one...If I could remember it right , it use to come along with HP Media Center PCs. That was the original Windows XP MCE. Its actually Windows XP Pro + Media Center application. Then later Microsoft created a new one [I think its from XP Home + Media Center + some stuff from XP Pro]. You should not use MCE if you're on a Domain or using Other Goodie stuffs , that is found on Windows XP Pro only

 

Used to be MCE was XP Pro + MCE features that cost more than XP Pro. Wasn't selling too well due to costs. But then MS got a bit wiser and made MCE with XP Home + MCE + some XP Pro features but axed the price some. Now you probably will see 1/2 the consumer computers sold with MCE and the other half (usually the cheaper comps) with Home. MCE used to only account for less than 10% of XP sales.

 

hi, i am planning to buy a DELL E1505 with 256 mb Hypermemory (core Duo).. first thing: Any one knows or tried to run 3d studio (3d intense software with it)? and secondly.. the majority of the 1505s are being sold with the MCE.. would 3d studio work fine with it? finally..is it possible to re install Xp home or PRO on the sytem if somehow i get an instalion cd? i know im asking a lot, but i appreciate any help.. thanks warren

 

I have an E1505 and XP MCE. I bought the install disk. When I reformatted and reinstalled, the install screen said "Installing Windows XP Professional". Not once did it mention MCE. To be honest, I thought it was the wrong disk until it completed the install, so... MCE is STILL BASED ON PRO!!! It's been well documented on this site, do a search on here. Most of the time, people come on here, say it's based on home, do a google search themselves, and find that it's based on Pro, so... unless you are on a domain, there's not much reason to pay the 129 extra for Pro... you already have most of it.

 

hi, this is a good link to look at :

http://www.microsoft.com/uk/windows/editions/xp-pro/media.mspx

im not sure about the middle one. 'remote working'
MCE seems not to have the 'Connect to internet wirelessly' .. what does this mean exactly?